In current telecommunication markets, thread-coupling mechanisms are often used, to connect two coaxial cables. Male and female connectors are attached to respective coaxial cables, and the end of the female connector is connected with the threaded end of the male connector.
Thread-coupling mechanisms distinguish themselves by their high mechanical strength, durability, and reliability; however, there are some known disadvantages. Interconnection involves matching the threads of the male and female connectors (which may take a certain amount of time to align); after matching the threads of the male and female connectors, the male and female connectors can be rotated to be tightened. Typically, several rotations are needed to tighten the threads of the male and female connectors to achieve a stable connection; thus, installation and removal may be cumbersome. Moreover, in some circumstances space is quite limited, which increases the difficulty of aligning and rotating the connectors.
To address the above issues, a SNAP-N interface has been developed. However, this design requires a special female connector to achieve the connection, which can add cost. Also, it can suffer from unreliability and looseness, which in turn can impact the characteristics of high-frequency performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,559,458, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discusses a quick-lock interface shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A male connector 1 includes an inner contact 9, an insulator 2, an outer contact 3 that is in contact with a connector body 5, and an annular claw 4 that encircles the outer contact 3. A push nut 8 engages the connector body 5, and a coupling nut 7 engages the push nut 8 and the claw 4. A spring 6 bears against the claw 4 and the push nut 8 and biases the claw 4 forwardly. A female connector 11 (which is a standard SMA-type female connector) includes an inner contact 13, an insulator 15 and an outer conductor body 14 with threads 12 on its outer surface.
When the male connector 1 and the female connector 11 are in the process of being mated (FIG. 1), the outer contact 3 fits within the inner surface of the outer conductor body 14 and bears against a shoulder 14a of the outer conductor body 14, and the inner contact 9 is received in a bore in the inner contact 13. These engagements electrically connect (a) the inner contact 9 with the inner contact 13 and (b) the outer contact 3 with the outer conductor body 14. The interconnection is secured by the coupling nut 7 as it moves from an unsecured position (FIG. 1) to a secured position (FIG. 2). More specifically, teeth 43 on the inner surface of the claw 4 are forced by a radially-inward nub 16 on the coupling nut 7 to engage the threads on the outer surface of the outer conductor body 14 to maintain the interconnection of the connectors 1, 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the push nut 8 is forced forwardly relative to the connector body 5 (resisted by the spring 6), to force the coupling nut 7 forward also. The nub 16 on the coupling nut 7 “clears” a radially-outward nub 17 on the outer surface of the claw 4 to secure the claw 4 in place (FIG. 2). Also, because the claw 4 has declining slots 41 that engage teeth 71 on the coupling nut 7, the coupling nut 7 rotates relative to the claw 4 as it moves forwardly. The interconnection can be released by pushing the push nut 8 forward again, which allows the teeth 43 to disengage from the threads on the outer conductor body 14. A more detailed description of the interaction is discussed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 9,559,458.